Quite Quite Fantastic! The Avengers for Modern Viewers

[QuiteQuiteFantastic]

Hi
I have ordered the book today, with many thanks to James for the codes. looking forward to it.

I am just curious looking at the cover, which shows Gambit on front cover and Tara on back cover. No criticism intended i assure you- just wondered if this is just a personal preference? I guess i 'm so used to the original series characters being the main focus on book covers etc that it raised an eyebrow! It was just for a second and returned to normal causing no lasting damage!! They are all Avengers after-all so it shouldn't matter. I'm just interested in these things...maybe too much time on my hands...?!

The positions of the characters do not indicate any kind of personal preference. It is entirely a matter of design aesthetic. The shape of the Tara and Purdey photos dictated their positions. I love all the characters equally, like a mother!

The cover is meant to look like a big analog TV screen and to fold out into one big picture on the hardcover dust jacket.

Thank you for buying the book. I hope you enjoy it!

Michael

[QuiteQuiteFantastic]

By the way, I ran this targeted promotional on Facebook last week. Let me know what you folks think of it.



Michael

[mrspeel01]

Thanks for answering my question. The promo ad looks great and makes me even more glad I ordered it!

Best Ron

[Alan]

Very nice ad. Hope it works for you. I've never trusted Facebook ads to actually be targeted enough to make a difference.

[QuiteQuiteFantastic]

Thanks guys!

I've never trusted Facebook ads to actually be targeted enough to make a difference.

It didn't...at least, not yet. I spent $30 and didn't get any sales. I got tons of Likes and about 16 Shares but no sales. However, I'm hoping that people that saw it might buy it later. After all, not everyone buys something the minute they see it.

In general, you're right though. Facebook is very much a click-and-scroll thing. It's a very passive activity. Very few people act on what they see. They just go "ooh, nice picture," click Like, and then move on.

Michael

[mrspeel01]

I have now received my copy of "Quite. quite fantastic..." My initial thoughts (having only read the intro and season 1 thus far) are that it is a great read. It is a nice big, chunky size and the cover looks great in reality. It is very nicely presented, very easy to read and there are some nice "drawn" pics (as opposed to photos) scattered throughout.

One thing that has interested me is the assertion about season 1 that (page11) : "...unlike Newman's other cult creation, Doctor Who, none of the episodes were recorded on audiotape." On page15 it is stated that: "...there are no known audio recordings of the original broadcasts."

I remember reading, though I cannot remember the source, that there is an audio recording from a TV broadcast in existence. This is, if memory serves correctly, of the (newly re-discovered episode) "Tunnel of fear" which is held by a private collector. There are also "rumours" that other episodes were recorded direct from the TV broadcasts, as with early Doctor Who episodes. Of course, unlike Doctor Who, whereby the recordings were given to the BBC, and subsequently released commercially, none of these audio recordings have been made available. Perhaps other forum members have heard or know more about the existence or possible existence of audio recordings of season 1.

I am looking forward to reading the rest of the book, which as Michael states, you can dip into at any point. A job well done I say.

[QuiteQuiteFantastic]

I have now received my copy of "Quite. quite fantastic..." My initial thoughts (having only read the intro and season 1 thus far) are that it is a great read. It is a nice big, chunky size and the cover looks great in reality. It is very nicely presented, very easy to read and there are some nice "drawn" pics (as opposed to photos) scattered throughout.

If StudioCanal asks, those are my 'digital ink' drawings. I drew those. I may do a fully illustrated edition later. I wouldn't have minded having a digital ink drawing for every episode, but I just didn't have the time to do that many.

I'm also glad you like the cover. I find myself slightly frustrated that Lulu's preview looks so bad compared to the printing, so thanks for emphasizing that it looks good when printed. I doubt anyone is refraining from a purchase on the basis of the preview cover, but it would be nice if the preview reflected reality better.

I remember reading, though I cannot remember the source, that there is an audio recording from a TV broadcast in existence. This is, if memory serves correctly, of the (newly re-discovered episode) "Tunnel of fear" which is held by a private collector. There are also "rumours" that other episodes were recorded direct from the TV broadcasts, as with early Doctor Who episodes. Of course, unlike Doctor Who, whereby the recordings were given to the BBC, and subsequently released commercially, none of these audio recordings have been made available. Perhaps other forum members have heard or know more about the existence or possible existence of audio recordings of season 1.

I have not personally heard that. I'm pretty certain that my assertion about audio recordings comes from Two Against the Underworld. If not, I'm sure Alan will be along eventually to set me straight. I can also double check shortly and get back to you. In any case, I would not print rumors. I might mention them with the clear caveat that they are rumors only, but I'd prefer to stick with known facts. Let me know if you find a source of that information. I'd be interested to read it. I used to run a website about Doctor Who missing episodes in the late 90s/early 2000s, pretty much concurrently with The Avengers website, and those rumors get pretty dicey though I'd love it to be true. I'd be ecstatic to hear an audio from season one personally.

I am looking forward to reading the rest of the book, which as Michael states, you can dip into at any point. A job well done I say.

Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying it.

Michael

[mrspeel01]

It is frustrating me that I cannot remember the source about the audio recording. if i find it i will post.

I have read much of the book now in a marathon session (yes, i'm that kind of fan!) and I was pleasantly surprised to read new info. about the turbulent times in the shows history. Especially regarding the transition from Emma Peel to Tara King. Previous books, such as the great "Bowler hats and kinky boots" by Mike R have explored this time of upheaval in great depth, so i honestly wasn't expecting to learn much more. But the new info i learnt was very interesting and, for me, perhaps worth the cost of the book alone!!

I won't give spoilers here as that would be unfair to you and your hard work on the book. I will just say that this section gives new insights that I hadn't read before.

The reviews of the episodes, as is mentioned, are subjective, but i always find it interesting when someone loves an episode I dislike and vice versa! Vive la difference I say!!

I do have to mention an important typo-error in the section on The New Avengers. Gareth Hunt is referred to as Gareth Thomas twice. (pages 322/418). A Blake's 7 fan by any chance??! (No bad thing!)

Now excuse me while I get back to reading...

Ron

[QuiteQuiteFantastic]

I do have to mention an important typo-error in the section on The New Avengers. Gareth Hunt is referred to as Gareth Thomas twice. (pages 322/418). A Blake's 7 fan by any chance??! (No bad thing!)

Urrgh! It's amazing how many typos one finds even after checking everything dozens of times. Thanks for finding that. I can see why two dark and curly-haired actors with the name Gareth would be confused, though I personally don't think they look anything alike except superficially. I'm a fan of many things. Doctor Who was my gateway drug into British television. Blake's 7, The Avengers, The Prisoner followed not too long after.

The reviews of the episodes, as is mentioned, are subjective, but i always find it interesting when someone loves an episode I dislike and vice versa! Vive la difference I say!!

Yes, I was unabashed most of the time about the subjectivity, but I like to mention other things about the production and inject humor into it to make it more readable. Still, I'm well aware that there a handful of likely fan favorites that are bashed in there, in particular one fifth season episode (no spoilers), but I took the attitude that I'd rather people throw the book across the room in disgust rather than reacting with a 'meh'.

I also made it clear that multiple times that 'you may like this more than me'.

Michael

[QuiteQuiteFantastic]

It is frustrating me that I cannot remember the source about the audio recording. if i find it i will post.

I found the reference in Two Against the Underworld (pg. 506):

"By contrast, whereas multiple soundtrack recordings have allowed all of Doctor Who's missing episodes to be released on CD, and several of them to be animated for DVD, only one Series 1 Avengers story is rumoured to have been preserved on audio from its original transmission: Tunnel of Fear. This solitary quarter-inch open reel recording is reputed to reside in the hands of a private collector, though its existence has never been proven. It is the considered opinion of the authors of this book that the collector's claim was in actuality a hoax, and that he held no such item."

So, it clarified the issue on both counts. There are no audio recordings, but there was a rumor about Tunnel of Fear, which is now believed to be a hoax. My book simply leaves out the issue of the hoax and declares that there are no audio off-air recordings, which seems a valid approach given the known facts.

Michael